It was the kind of audacious decision that marks out genuine talent. Faced with a difficult angle and an onrushing goalkeeper, Danny Welbeck could have been excused for simply putting his foot through the ball and hoping.

Yet the Manchester United player instead scooped up the ball with his weaker left foot, watched it hang in the air, and then wheeled away in gleeful celebration. It was a moment that may well have put his name on Roy Hodgson’s team sheet for England’s opening game with France on Monday week.

It was also a piece of attacking flair out of keeping with the rest. As against Norway last week, England struggled to build attacks and were careless in their passing at times. They have the pace to hurt teams on the counter but lack the ability to dominate the ball.

Still, this is a win that should build confidence: Belgium are the best European team not at the finals this summer and have plenty of dangerous attacking players in their ranks. Just as in Oslo, England played with defensive solidity and should be difficult to break down. Scott Parker played 90 minutes, allaying fitness concerns and Steven Gerrard was much improved.

Hodgson has two wins from two and while there is a lot of work to do, England have at least a solid platform to work from.

After the conservative line-up he sent out in Oslo, this was a bolder selection from Hodgson, especially against an expansive Belgium team. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was given his first start on the left of midfield and Welbeck was brought in to bring pace to the attack. It certainly put a sold-out Wembley in a positive frame of mind, hoping to see the team off in style before they left for Poland and Ukraine.

The Belgians fans contributed to a festive atmosphere – even convincing a normally recalcitrant Wembley crowd to join a Mexican wave – and it was reflected with a fairly open approach from both sides. Any sense that this was going to live up to the name friendly was soon spoiled, though.

Dries Mertens, the PSV winger, went chasing after a ball in behind the England defence. Gary Cahill had the run on him but was expecting Joe Hart to sweep up. The moment’s hesitation might have given Mertens a chance to exploit a mistake but instead he cynically pushed Cahill in the back, sending him crashing at speed into Hart. The referee, Peter Rasmussen, booked him for what was a cowardly and dangerous act.

Cahill had his jaw and cheekbones examined before being withdrawn, Joleon Lescott coming on. It was hard to feel sympathy for Mertens when Glen Johnson went in hard on him minutes later. Luckily it seemed Cahill was not seriously hurt.

The pattern of the game was begin to emerge. England were, creditably, trying to build from the back but the Belgian defence, led by Thomas Vermaelen after Vincent Kompany was injured in the warm-up, was holding a very high line. England were reduced to optimistic balls over the top and efforts on the counter.

Oxlade-Chamberlain had two decent chances when England did get in behind. He slipped as he tried to strike the first, a pull-back from James Milner on the right and then watched his shot fade away from the far post from the second, set up by Welbeck.

England’s defence, by contrast, was almost standing on Hart’s toes, crowding the area with bodies and challenging Eden Hazard to unpick them. While it invited pressure, there were few clear openings early on and Alex Witsel’s long ranger was the only effort struck in anger. Otherwise, they sought to use Marouane Fellaini’s size and power to cause problems, looking to hit him direct when necessary.

Just when things were going a bit flat, England took the lead. Welbeck started and finished it. He closed down Moussa Dembele, allowing Gerrard to make a good tackle and then set off for goal after Ashley Young had picked up the ball. The United forward passed it into his club-mate’s stride but there was still plenty for Welbeck to do. His finish was outstanding, lifting the ball delicately up and over Simon Mignolet with his left foot, for his first England goal.

Gerrard almost made it a second before the break. When Young had prodded the ball into his path he tried to pass it into the bottom corner only for Timmy Simons to block. The rebound came straight back to the England captain whose second effort was stopped by Guillaume Gillet.

The second half was still young when Hodgson decided to take off Welbeck. The United striker went straight down the tunnel for the dressing room, presumably for some treatment on the ankle injury he has been struggling with. That meant Wayne Rooney coming on but even he striker struggled to bring more balance to England’s attacking play. Young, while he made the assist, does not have an instinctive understanding of the second striker’s role and would be better out wide.

With an hour played Belgium had two good chances as England grew sloppy. Hazard tried to beat Hart from range but the goalkeeper had a good read on the flight of the ball. Then the new Chelsea player fed the ball into Fellaini but he could not get enough power on his shot.

There was concern when John Terry was withdrawn, Phil Jagielka coming on. The substitution of the controversial Chelsea captain was met with a mixtures of boos and clapping and he went straight down the tunnel, presumably to receive treatment. He might not enjoy unequivocal support, but Hodgson can ill-afford to lose him.

As the game drew to a close it became stretched – and with it more entertaining. Gillet, the Belgium right-back, hit a superb shot from range that Hart could only watch as it hit the top of the post. England responded in kind, Jermain Defoe, on for Young, jinking to his right in the box and sending a shot against the far post. Defoe then hit the side-netting after a crisp England counter to show effective he might be off the bench in the coming weeks. Hodgson will need every tactical weapon he can lay his hands on.